Is Southeast Asia the New Garment-Sweatshop Capital of the World?

Thousands of migrant workers in Southeast Asia suffer "dangerously negligent" wage and workplace standards in the name of affordable fashion, according to a new report from War on Want and the Asian Immigrant Center. Workers interviewed for the study, which focuses on women who migrated to Thailand and Malaysia and within Cambodia to find work in the garment industry, frequently cited 10-hour days without overtime pay, chronic harassment, unsafe working and living environments, and below-subsistence wages.

They were also prevented from organizing, taking sick leave, going outside factory grounds, or becoming pregnant. Even minor "transgressions" such as missing a day of work, arriving late, or a trip to the bathroom could result in fines and penalties.Despite their importance to these countries' economic growth, migrant women's rights are consistently violated by those who would employ them, according to the study. Local governments fail to provide even the most nominal protection, in some cases creating policies that restrict workers from exercising their rights or fighting for better conditions.

"Once in the employment sector, workers are given little to no job security," the report notes. "Migrants live in a temporary and precarious state—which is beneficial to the employers, who can hire and fire according to demand, but which is detrimental to a worker's life, livelihood, and future."High-street retailers such as Gap, Zara, Marks & Spencer, and H&M do not operate the factories they contract in these countries, but they profit from the rampant exploitation.